GIANT CRYPTIC No 243
1 x Breville Wake up Tea Maker
B Burgess, Rowley Regis.

5 x Lovatts Kitchen Prize Packs
Gladys Anderson, Castle Douglas; B Gee, Shifnal; Sue Hill, Portsmouth; N Keep, East Grinstead; S Nichols, Arundel.

CASHWORDS No 243
1 x £300
Sarah Smith, Stockton.

5 x £40
Rowena Adams, Breadsall; Stephen Copping, Ipswich; Olwen Price, Edinburgh; C Smith, Grimsby; E Wilson, Arnold.

STINKER No 243
1 x Panasonic DAB Micro HIFI System with iPod Dock
S Carman, Ripley.

5 x Collins Concise English Dictionaries
P Clark, Chessington; M Foote, Andover; B Heatley, Torpoint; M Johnson, Poole; Marlene Kay, Tarbolton.

THE KNOWLEDGE No 243
2 x Lovatts Engraved Desk Clock & Thermometer
A Brown, Irby; Pamela Matthews, Cullompton.

3 x Lovatts Tea Party Prize Packs
J Alsop, Eye; C St John, Portmarnock; A Wilson, Leeds.

Mega Mix
1 x £100
Mary Faux, Chatteris.

3 x Lovatts Thermo Mug & Flashlight Keyring
Janet Hyde, Alcombe; Elaine Reader, Trowbridge; L Walsh, Bolton.

Mega Stinker
1 x Mio Spirit 689 Sat Nav with Carry Case
Stephen Evans, Builth Wells.

5 x Lovatts Stationery Sets
M Lord, Wigan; J Matthams, Brentwood; Dorothy McGrail, Taunton; P Reilly, Crosby; P Smith, Ulceby.

Mrs Marina Barlow, Littleborough, Lancashire
Mr A Hill, Plymouth, Devon
Mrs Kathleen Middlehurst, Warrington, Cheshire
Mr Mervyn Morris, Middleton, Milton Keynes
Mrs Pauline Stracey, Bude, Cornwall

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Reader Steve Stevenson recently queried our clue ‘Iris’ for the answer fleur-de-lis. He felt it should be lily, not iris.

Both Oxford and Collins dictionaries, our main sources, have two definitions for fleur-de-lis – ’stylised lily as a French heraldic charge’ and ‘iris’.

Although fleur-de-lis translates as ‘flower of the lily’, it doesn’t refer to a flower but to the well-known symbol (right) which is widely thought to be a stylised version of the species Iris pseudacorus and when you look at this diagram of the iris you can see that the fleur-de-lis looks more like an iris than a lily.

In the days when the French, or Franks, lived around the Luts river in the Netherlands, they were surrounded by beautiful irises growing on the river banks. French naturalist Sauvages wrote that when the kings needed a suitable symbol for their coat-of-arms they chose the flower that was familiar to them. The original name was fleur-de-Luts after the river, ‘flower of the river of Luts’. This fits in with the archaic spelling fleur-de-luce formerly used in England.

However, the fleur-de-lis is also thought of as a lily, so in a Lovatts crossword you may see the clue ‘iris’ or ‘heraldry lily’. The fleur-de-lis is a very popular symbol on many European flags and coats-of-arms. It is sometimes used in the Christian religion to represent the Trinity. Interior designers and architects often use it as a repeated motif, in wall cutouts or on wallpaper. On a compass rose it is used to mark the north direction.

The plural is fleurs-de-lis and features prominently in the Crown Jewels and Sir Walter Scott mentions it in his poem The Lay of the Last Minstrel:

“The treasured fleur-de-luce he claims
To wreathe his shield, since royal James”.

Happy Puzzling!

GIANT CRYPTIC No 242
1 x Breville Wake up Tea Maker
L James, Ballyclare.

5 x Lovatts Kitchen Prize Packs
W Howie, Cleethorpes; D Manning, Cheam; A Miller, Bournemouth; Mary Sorohan, Drumcondra; Susan Walker, Alnwick.

CASHWORDS No 242
1 x £300
Lilian Delday, Warwick.

5 x £40
Alyson Brown, Duston; Dorothy Hooper, Rochester; Raymond Nolan, Roylsden; C Stout, Gateshead; Liz Theobald, Scunthorpe.

STINKER No 242
1 x Panasonic DAB Micro HIFI System with iPod Dock
J Highgate, Holmbury.

5 x Collins Concise English Dictionaries
Clare Braithwaite, Farsley; Sue Evans, Datchworth; Maureen Noble, Barnsley; Judith Riddoch, Bieldside; J Winspear, Saxmundham.

THE KNOWLEDGE No 242
2 x Lovatts Engraved Desk Clock & Thermometer
Vera Metcalf, Barton; B Ramsay, Blackrod.

The word mythology comes from the Greek mythos (story) + logy (study). Ancient mythology has given us many popular expressions as well as a plentiful supply of crossword clues.

By Jove! is an exclamation indicating surprise or agreement that first appeared in the late 16th century. Jove is an older Roman name for Jupiter, the Roman king of gods. Jupiter derives from the Latin Jovis pater, meaning ‘father Jove’.

To make a Herculean effort is to overcome an intense and difficult task.This comes from the famous Greek hero Hercules, son of Zeus and Alcmene. After conquering twelve almost impossible tasks set for him by King Eurystheus, Hercules was noted for his great strength and courage.

To have the knack of making money in every venture is to have the Midas touch. Midas, king of Phrygia was rewarded by Dionysus with one wish for showing kindness to one of his followers. Midas wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. Unfortunately for Midas, his food turned to gold when he touched it, and he bitterly regretted his choice.

Pandora’s box is a source of troubles to come. Zeus created Pandora, the first mortal woman, and sent her to Epimetheus with a box that was not to be opened. When curiosity got the better of her, Pandora opened the lid and afflictions were spread over the earth.

To be in love is to be struck by Cupid. Cupid, the Roman god of love and son of Venus, used his bow to shoot arrows of desire into the bosoms of both gods and human beings.

To have an Achilles’ heel is to have a weakness or vulnerable point. After being told her baby Achilles would die in battle from an arrow, his mother Thetis dipped Achilles into the River Styx, which was said to offer powers of invincibility. His heel, which she was holding him by, did not get wet. He survived many battles, but one day, was shot in this heel with a poisonous arrow and died instantly.

I’m sure you’ll find it won’t take a Herculean effort to complete the crossword competitions in this month’s Colossus (in stores now or available online).

Happy puzzling!

Page 29 Starhunt 3

The extra Starhunt clue given on page 71 is the same as one of the given numbers on page 29

Thanks to Brenda Smedley of Woodthorpe

3 x Lovatts Tea Party Prize Packs
Trevor Bantges, Hull; Dorothy Flynn, Tamworth; Aileen Tappenden, Ramsgate.

Mega Mix
1 x £100
Mary Ralfs, Westbury-on-Trym.

3 x Lovatts Thermo Mug & Flashlight Keyring
Elaine Owen, Oswestry; Alice Ridley, Staines; A Vernon, Blackburn.

Mega Stinker
1 x Mio Spirit 689 Sat Nav with Carry Case
J McEwan, Thetford.

5 x Lovatts Stationery Sets
June Holness, Whitstable; Elke Meredith, Topsham; D Phillips, Worcester; D Portingale, Enfield; Helen Tullio, London.

GIANT CRYPTIC No 241
1 x Breville Wake up Tea Maker
M White, Nunthorpe.

5 x Lovatts Kitchen Prize Packs
Sue Dawson, Sandbach; Susan Dunford, Bromley; Lynda Grundy, Huddersfield; David Harrison, Ludworth; V Nolan, Urmston.

CASHWORDS No 241
1 x £300
Jean Drummond, Blairgowrie.

5 x £40
E Ayres, Nuneaton; Valerie Bull, London; Monica Heyes, Shanklin; J Massey, Raydon; W Matthew, Ellon.

STINKER No 241
1 x Panasonic DAB Micro HIFI System with iPod Dock
Andy Gear, Yell.

5 x Collins Concise English Dictionaries
Robert Edwards, Harlow; Kay Gozzard, Dronfield; J Hing, Portugal; Sheila Shiels, West Denton; S Spackman, Huntly.

THE KNOWLEDGE No 241
2 x Lovatts Engraved Desk Clock & Thermometer
B Graham, Brighouse; T Martin, Garforth.